Simple Tips on Becoming Vegan

When asked to write a blog post about ways to live vegan, we immediately thought it was a great idea. When I say we, I am referring to my sisters and I, who have all been vegan since birth. Using the beliefs of Gandhi, (who proved the best path to peace was through truth and non-violent protest), we make up the social action rock band Truth on Earth. We write and perform original songs about major world problems and potential solutions such as Environment, Factory Farming, Animal Abuse, Media Distortion, Child Abuse, Starvation, and many other serious issues. Our mission is to leave a planet worth inheriting for future generations and that’s one of the reasons why we give 70% of our profits to organizations supporting the causes we sing about. Being vegan is not just another diet. It’s a lifestyle, a state of mind. Here at Greenopolis we’ve come aboard to share with you some simple, easy and effective ways to start living a vegan lifestyle today.

When you hear the word vegan, you probably think of vegetables, fruits or plants. Now those foods are all fine and dandy, but we’re here to tell you that at this day in age you can eat incredibly scrumptious foods without having to harm animals. We do eat vegetables and fruits, but vegans can now enjoy a wide variety of ”normal” foods. The great thing is nearly every vegan substitute on the market is so tasty – bonus is it’s good for you and the planet! The days of a vegan only having millet, quinoa, lumps of wheat dough and sprouts to eat are over!

Tip one: Veganize it!
It’s easy to Veganize your old favorite traditional recipes. Simply replace ingredients with vegan options. Here are a few examples of vegan products that you can use to substitute with: ice cream, cream cheese, sour cream, butter, milk, turkey, cheese, bbq’d chicken, hamburgers, shrimp, pepper steak, meatballs, marshmallows, chocolate chip cookies, key lime pie, pancakes, whipped cream, the list goes on and on. Some of our favorite brands are Earth Balance Soy Butter for butter, Silk Soymilk for milk (which you probably have heard of already, or might be using!), Tofutti Cream Cheese and sour cream, Follow Your Heart for mayo (this is the best mayo we've had after trying the countless brands out there), Amy’s Texas and All American Burgers for hamburgers and Purely Decadent Ice Cream (they have about twenty different flavors) for Ice Cream. Most of our non-vegan guests have said that our foods taste much better than the non-vegan foods they’re used to.

Tip two: Buy Organic:
Buying organic could be one of the most simple yet important things you can do. When you eat foods that are not organic, you are not only eating a nutrition deficient food, but you are also eating all of the pesticides and chemicals they use on the vegetables and fruits. Organic produce tastes better, looks better, and is better for you. It's as simple as that.

Tip three: Not buying or wearing fur or leather:
Part of being vegan and more "green", is not only abstaining from eating anything made from an animal, but also not wearing anything that is made from an animal. Not only is the suffering that the animals go through horrible, but the chemicals they use are bad for the environment. With unlimited options, including "leather" jackets – often referred to as pleather, faux suede (also called ultra suede) couches and shoes, the list is endless. The best part is that you can find these options almost anywhere. Just check your favorite store next time you go shopping.

Tip four: Buying and using products that are Cruelty-Free:
A lot of people may not realize that the products they use everyday could be tested on animals. This includes putting that product in an animal’s eyes (such as rabbits, rats, dogs, cats, monkeys, etc.), making them ingest it, and many other horrible things. For example, many household chemicals and cosmetics are draize tested on rabbits. This is where they flood the eyes of rabbits with the harshest possible concentration of chemicals to see how much it takes to blind the rabbit. The most simple thing you can do to prevent this is to buy cruelty-free products. To see if a product is cruelty-free, just simply look at the back of the bottle. If it says anywhere that it is not tested on animals, you're good to go! To go a step further, it is also great to check if the product contains any animal products. These can range from crushed beetles for lipsticks and eye shadows, to milk, even to snake and bee venom! Even most vitamins in capsules are made with gelatin which comes from ground up horse hooves and pig snouts. One brand called Solgar, and a lot of other brands, are now offering most capsules as vegetable cellulose. So choose these options wherever possible and remember to read all labels of foods, clothes, vitamins, shoes and so on. This also carries over to everyday household products, such as floor cleaner, hand soap, and window wash. One of the companies we love is called Method. They are vegan, do not test on animals, and every product of theirs smells amazing! You can always search “cruelty- free” on the web to obtain lists of companies who boast that they do not test on animals. Victoria’s Secret for example just came out with a whole vegan line which you may have heard of called Pink.

Tip five: Think beyond:
Being conscious means thinking about where your food and products you use comes from. Thinking about what the animal went through to get on your plate, for example. This could mean buying local, buying organic, using cruelty-free products, and in the end, going vegan. You can start by thinking how much food and water you are saving by not eating meat and dairy, and the impact you are making on the environment. A great example - On one acre of land, you can either grow 20,000 pounds of potatoes, or you could use that land to produce just 165 pounds of beef. Being conscious means all of these things, and a lot more. It's doing your own research and finding out the truth, and making changes that you feel is best for you and where you are in your life. Two suggestions we feel will be very helpful to you – find a spiritual program to meditate with that helps you to quickly expand your consciousness. The one we prefer is non-secular and non-religious and will help you reach enlightenment with minimal time, money and resources. We learned it from a book called I Am God Here’s My Message at http://ABookByGod.com The other suggestion is to find as many like-minded people that will support your conscious decisions and are going in the same direction. We find that type of fellow spiritual traveler in large numbers everyday on So Act Network at http://SoAct.net

For your encouragement, you are not alone. 10 years ago in the US there were approximately 500,000 vegans. Today the number is estimated at 10 million and is one of the fastest growing new market sectors. These numbers are reflected in many other countries as well, so we are becoming a very important audience.

We hope you found these tips simple and easy to follow! For more information on how you can help make an impact on the world in even more ways, check out our Take Action section at our site, http://truthonearthband.com/action.html

Truth on Earth is on a mission to do everything we can in our lifetimes to fix the problems and make the world a place where our families and future generations can enjoy the amazing wonder and beauty the planet offers. With your help, our goals of a better world are attainable. We appreciate you and hope you will join together and work with us toward a better world. Here is a quote we love that reminds us every day of the power we possess. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed it’s the only thing that ever does”. –Margaret Mead

See more from Truth of Earth:

http://TruthOnEarth.com

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Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

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